On the 21st, Seibu held negotiations with Taiga Kojima (Meiji University), who was their first draft pick.

Kojima commented through the team, "Now that I've signed, I finally feel like I'm becoming a part of The Lions, and I'm filled with joy. First of all, I want to continue playing in games for the first team and do my best to win Rookie of the Year. I want to be a player that gets fans excited the moment I step up to the plate. My forte is batting, so I'm aiming for a batting average of .300 and will continue to work hard through daily practice."